YASIN J. NASIR

A glabrous perennial rooting at the nodes; the nodes with scaly and opposite leaves. Stem (s) leafy, prostrate to ascending. Leaves ± fleshy, 5-12 x 2.5-5.5 mm, elliptic-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, pale green, sessile, uppermost smaller, crowded, often glandular-punctate, margin whitish. Flowers axillary solitary, barely exserted from the subtending leaf, lilac or pink, subsessile; pedicel 1-1.5 mm long. Calyx cupular, 3.5-4.5 mm long, petaloid; limb 5-6 mm broad; lobes obtuse, ± 2 mm long, sub-orbicular, margin hyaline. Stamens included; filament 2-2.5 mm long, anther oblong, base subcordate. Carpel ± equalling the calyx. Ovary ovoid, glabrous; style ± 2.5 mm long, slightly recurved at anthesis, stigma obscure or sub-capitate. Capsule globose, 2.5-3 mm broad, acute at one end. Seeds trigonal, c. 1.2 mm long, minutely reticulate, reddish-brown.

Holotype: Described from Europe (LINN 291/1!).

Distribution: Temperate and Artic regions of the N. Hemisphere.

The genus over its wide distribution in the N. Hemisphere, appears to show little variation that may be considered as significant. Freyn (in Osterr. Bot. Zeitschr. 46:53.1896) distinguished a form with more intense coloured flowers and Fernald (in Rhodora, 4:213.1902) described the variety obtusifolia, on the basis of the obtuse leaves. According to Knuth (1905) these variants differ little from the typical plant.

The species occurs over a variety of habitats, but is basically a halophyte. It is found on the banks of rivers, marshy places as bogs and in saline areas near the sea or estuaaies from altitudes of 2000-4600 m.